Wedge or key for car journal-boxes



3 Sheet$heet 1. A. M. WAITT & H. F. BALL. WEDGE OR KEY FOR GAR JOURNAL BOXES.

(No Model.) I

Patented MaJn'ZQ, 1898.

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F 3 Sheet-Sheet 2. A. M. WAI TT & H. P. BALL. WEDGE 0R KEY FOR GAR JOURNAL BOXES. No. 601,292.

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Patented Mar. 29, 1898.

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(No Model.) I s sneets sneet 3.

AM; WAITT. & H. F. BALL. WEDGE 0R KEY FOR GAR JUURNAL BOXES.

" fN 601,292. Patented Mar. 29,1898.

*1 \1 a aa 2 a i w immmimv merged or the separate upper-section elimi- 7 UNITED Y STATES PATENT FFICE.

ARTHUR M. WAITT AND HERMAN F. BALL, 0F CLEVELAND, OHI'O.

W EDGE OR KEY FOR CAR JOURNAL-BOXES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 601,292, dated March 29, 1898.

Application filed November 18, 1897- Serial No. 659,012. (No model.)

To all whom it may. concern:

Be it known that we, ARTHUR M. WAITT and HERMAN F. BALL, citizens of the United States, residing at Cleyeland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in \Vedges or Keys for Car J ournal-Boxes; and we hereby declare the following to be a full,

' clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal central section of of a journal-box, journal and journal-bearing or brass, and of a wedge or key therefor which embodies our invention in its preferred form, said section taken on the line 1 1, Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section of the same parts, taken on the line 2 2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detached longitudinal central section of the sectional wedgeor key shown in Figs. -1 and 2. Fig. 4 is a transverse section of the sectional wedge or key shown in Figs. land 2, taken on the line 4 4:, Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a'n under face plan view of the upper sectio'n of the wedge. Fig. dis a top plan view of. the intermediate section of the wedge, Fig, 7 is a top plan view of the lower orjournal-bearing section of the wedge. Fig. 8 is a longitudinal central section of one modification of the sectional wedge or key shown in Figs. 1 to 7. Fig. 9 is a transverse section of the modified form of sectional key, taken on the line 9 9, Fig. 8. Fig. 10 is alongitudinal central sectionalviewof another modification of the sectional wedge or keyv embodying our invention-viz., one in which the upper and intermediate sections are nated.

Like symbols refer to they occur. 7

Our invention relates to certain improvements in wedges orkeys for the journal-boxes of cars, whereby the load is evenlyand uniformly distributed overthe central line of the bearing, notwithstanding the truck and pedestals may be out of plumb or out of square.

As is well understood, from various causes car trucks and pedestals are constantly subject to distortion, which results in so disposing and transmitting the load to the journallike parts wherever bearing that an excess thereof will often rest I or be carried on one or other side of the center of the journal and materially interfere with proper lubrication thereof, as well as give rise to the trouble and annoyance known as a hot-box.

Various constructions have been heretofore suggested and devised to overcomethese difficulties, most if not all of which involve the use of some particular form of brass or journal-bearingnot adapted for use with the Master Car-Builders standard j ournal-box and journal-bearing.

In order to compensate for the irregularities of trucks and pedestals, the Master Car- Builders standard wedge or key is made convex upon its upper surface and for purposes of adjustment rocks upon the under surface of the top of the journal-box. Following a like theory of construction, sectional keys or wedges have heretofore been devised wherein the key or Wedge sections were pivotally connected to rotate one upon the other, the lower member being either concave or convex and adapted to rock on the j ournal-bear ing. In all of said constructions the same defect existsviz., the adjustment being accomplished bya rocking or rotary motion (or both) from a fixed center or pivotal point when any irregularities arise in the trucks the point of transmission of the load is changed fromits normal position and is shifted either forward or back of the center. of the journal-bearing, thereby causing objectionable strains and leverage upon the journal and an unequal distribution of the load on the journal-bearing and journal.

The object of our present invention is to overcome said objectionable features of prior constructions and produce a self-adjusting wedge adapted for usewith any style of Master Oar-Builders journal-bearing and one in which the surfaces of contact between the over the center of the journal and there is therefore no change in the equal distribution of the load.

To this end our invention, generally stated, consists in a wedge or key composed of a plurality of sections or members, one or more of which are of wedge form and capable of shift ing with relation to the other member or members, whereby the adjustment and equalization is accomplished between the component parts of the wedge itself.

There are other minor features of invention, all as will hereinafter more fully appear.

lVe will now proceed to describe our invention more fully, so that others skilled in the art to which it appertains mayapply the same.

In the drawings, A indicates a car-axle j ournal-box, 13 the journal-bearing or brass, and O the journal, all of which may be of any desired pattern, though for purposes of illustration we have preferred to show the same as of the Master Car-Build ers standard. The interior of the j ournal-box will therefore have the usual end stop a and side steps I) Z) for the key or wedge, and the key or wedge, hereinafter described and which embodies our i11- vention, will be accordingly shaped to engage said stops.

Our improved key or wedge is composed of a plurality of superposed sections or members, preferably three, the upper of which, 1, has a flat upper surface, adapted to bear uniformly 011 the under side of the top of the axle-box A, and is provided at its front with a downwardly-proj ectin g stop 1 and at its sides with downwardly-projecting or lateral stops 1 1 with which the bottom or lower member 2 or projections thereon engage to preserve the proper relations of the upper and lower members or sections of the compound wedge. The upper section of the wedge is also perforated, as at 1, for the passage of bolt or rivet 4, which connects it with the lower section of the wedge.

2 indicates the lower section of the wedge, the under surface of which is fiat, so as to bear uniformly for its entire length upon the upper and correspondingly-flat surfaces of the j ournal-bearing or brass B, being otherwise shaped in cross-section on its under surface to correspond with the cross-section of the journalbcaring or brass, as is the case with the Master Car-Builders standard wedge or key. The upper surface of said wedge-section 2 is, however, concave, as at 2, to receive the under convex surface of the interposed shiftable member or section 3, and the form of said concavity will depend on the shape of the under surface of said section 3, as will hereinafter appear.

The lower section 2 will be provided with the wide lateral projections 2 2 adapted to fit between the lateral stops 1 1 of the upper member 1, and with the rivet-hole 2 for the reception of] the lower end of key or rivet at, whereby the lower member 2 is connected with the upper member 1 of the wedge.

3 indicates the shiftable member of the wedge, which in the preferred form is interposed between the upper and the lower member and has the form of a segment of a sphere, and the concavity 2 in the upper surface of lower member 2 being of like form a universally-shiftable wedge will be obtained which will in its movements between the members 1 and 2 of the wedge correct both horizontal and vertical irregularities in the truck by sliding into the required position to increase or diminish the depth of the wedge or key at any given point required by the special irregularity.

The shiftablc member 3 of the wedge is provided centrally with an enlarged slot or opening 3, through which passes the key or rivet 1, which connects the several members composing the key or wedge, and said key or rivet 4 is formed with a shoulder 49, or other provision is made whereby while the members are securely united they are nevertheless so held as to permit of free movement between the parts to allow of the longitudinal,lateral,and diagonal shifting of the interposed shiftable member or section 3. If, however, it be desired to provide only against distortion of the truck and pedestals which lead to vertical irregularities of the journal-box and journal, the interposed or shiftable member of the key or wedge may have the form of a segment of a cylinder arranged with its axis at right angles to the axis of the journal, as illustrated at 3", Figs. 8 and 9 of the drawings, in which case the concavity 2 in the upper surface of lower member 2 will have a corresponding shape and the movement of the shiftable member or section of the wedge with relation to the fixed member or members will be longitudinally of the journal.

In some instances it may be found desirable to reduce the number of sections composing the wedge or key, which may be readily (lone (see Fig. 10) by merging the upper member into the intermediate or shiftable member, or, in other words, by eliminating the upper member, in which case, however, the segment of cylinder or sphere constituting the shiftable member (see 3 will have to be taken from a cylinder or sphere of such diameter as will afford an extended flat bearing upon the under side of the top of the journal-box substantially equal to that of the upper member 1, which it displaces, and the head P of rivet 4t should be sunk so as to present 110 0bstruction to the movement of the members 2 and 3 relatively to each other and to the top of the journal-box.

The several members composing the wed go or key having each substantially the form hereinbefore pointed out are assembled as indicated in the drawings, the lateral lugs 2 of the lower member 2 between and confined by the vertically-pendent stops 1 1" of the superior or upper member 1, the shiftable member 3 being interposed between the members 1 and 2, and the whole loosely confined by means of the key or rivet 4, so applied as to permit of some freedom of motion between the parts, whereupon will be produced a key or wedge which can be readily substituted for the wedge or key commonly used in the Master Oar-Builders standard car journalbox and one capable of an automatic change of thickness (or self-adj ustment) to meet any change from the normal in truck or pedestal, with the preservation of uniformly-extended bearing-surfaces on both the journal-bearing and the under side of the journal-box, so that the load will not shift from the center of the journal nor become excessive at any point notwithstanding. any irregularities of truck orpedestal which may exist or arise. Having thus described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a wedge or key for car-axle journalboxes, saidkey composed of a plurality of members,-the combination with a fixed member of a slidable or shiftable member, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

2. The combination in a wedge or key for car-axle journal-boxes, of an upper member, a lower-member, and an interposed slidable or shiftable member, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

3. The combination in a wedge or key'for car-axle journal-boxes, of an upper member having a flat upper surface adapted to bear uniformly on the under side of the top of a journal-b02921. lower member having a surface adapted'to bear uniformly on the journal-bearing, and an interposed slidable or shiftable member, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

4. A wedge or key for car-axle journalboxes, said wedge or key composed of a plu-- rality'of members, one of said members having an elongated slot, and a key or rivet for 40 loosely connecting said members, whereby one member may slide upon the other, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

5. In a wedge or key for car-axle journalboxes, the combination of an upper member, a lower member having a curved upper surface, an interposed member having a curved under face adapted to fit the upper face of the lower member, and means for loosely confining or connecting said members, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

, 6. The combination in a wedge or key for car-axle journal-boxes, of an upper member having pendent lateral stops, at lower member having lateral projections which engage the pendent stops of the upper member, an interposed slidable wedge member, and means for movably connecting said members, sub' stantially as and for the purposes specified.

'7. The combination in a key or wedge for car-axle journal-boxes, of a plurality of members adapted to slide one upon the other, one of said members being the segment of a sphere, and means for loosely connecting the members composing the wedge or key, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

8. The combination in a wedge or key for a lower member having a concave upper surface, and a slidable or shiftable intermediate member having the form of a segment of a sphere, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

. car-axle journal-boxes, of an upper member,

In testimony whereof we aflix our signa- 'tures, in presence of two witnesses, this 15th O. E. HATCH, JOHN D. MCALPINE. 

